Some of you might not know this, but one of my side hustles is providing job hunting and job application assistance in the form of resumes, cover letters and interview coaching through my Extra Edge business. I like to stay up to date when it comes to job hunting and career changes and reading #EntryLevelBoss: a 9-step guide for finding a job you like (and actually getting hired to do it) by Alexa Shoen was like a shot of adrenalin to the system.
Alexa Shoen runs an online education company for job seekers and likens her approach to a fitness program for job hunting. Full of info geared towards graduates and school leavers but applicable to employees and the unemployed no matter what stage in their career they find themselves.
Shoen echoes much of what I've been sharing with my clients for years in terms of marketing yourself to the specific job and company. Here's her take on the job ad and job description.
"At its core, a job description is a CV, but in reverse. It is a marketing tool designed to pique interest from the right people. All any company is ever trying to say with a job description is: "We need someone who kind of knows about this kind of stuff, who could help us do something kind of like this. We think that's what we need, anyway. Is it you?" Page 30Some candidates see one or two items in a job ad or position description that they've never done before or don't have much experience in and decide they don't qualify for the job. Wrong! Give it a go anyway, what have you got to lose?
Occasionally a piece of advice came as a shock, like the advice not to include your physical address on your CV. I'm not sure I agree with her on that one, but largely, I absolutely agree with her 9 steps and I've recommended many of them to my clients over the years.
#EntryLevelBoss is an up to the minute take on job hunting and Shoen's energy and enthusiasm almost leaps off the page. Her mission is straight forward: to help good people land great jobs, as quickly as possible. Sounds great doesn't it? She's confident and sassy and openly shares some of her own examples from cover letters and email interactions to provide real world examples; both good and bad.
Alexa Shoen is a careers expert worth listening to, so if your job hunting has stagnated or you need a confidence boost or a fresh approach, #EntryLevelBoss is well worth the read. Shoen is also active on social media and provides plenty of resources on her website to reinvigorate and focus your job hunting process, so get out there and go for it!
Highly recommended.
